Russia urges Kiev not to have military operation against rebels

Russia is hoping Germany and France will dissuade Kiev from starting a military operation against insurgents in eastern Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.

Moscow was concerned with the build-up of Ukrainian Armed Forces and volunteer battalions at the contact line with the rebels, which was noticed by observers from the Special Monitoring Mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the ministry said in a statement.

"It is clear that Ukrainian forces are preparing a military operation," it said.

The issue had been discussed at a meeting between Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin with the German and French ambassadors to Russia.

Karasin said such activities by Ukraine could "nullify" efforts, including those made by the Normandy Quartet of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France, aimed at peacefully settling the Ukraine crisis.

Moscow hopes that German and French partners will be able to use their influence on Kiev to prevent a military scenario, which may seriously destabilize the region, the statement said.

The leaders of the Normandy Quartet signed an agreement in Minsk in February 2015 on a peaceful settlement in the independence-seeking Ukrainian region of Donbass.

The Minsk deal envisaged a ceasefire, withdrawal of heavy weaponry from the contact line, a prisoner exchange, and holding local elections in Donbass, among other measures.

However, the peace process has reached a stalemate, with Kiev and the eastern insurgents accusing each other of violating the ceasefire. Endi